The Remains of the Day
by Scarlet Secret
Summary: The night after Albus Dumbledore’s funeral those that remain loyal to him come to blows and the Order inducts some very unlikely members.
1. Chapter 1

"_THE DAY A LEGEND DIED."_

No, perhaps; "_WHAT HOPE IS THERE LEFT NOW?"_

Dozens of headline all like these ran through the head of Rita Skeeter as her feet padded along the cobbled streets. And she knew it was pointless to think about it because she had known the second she heard that Albus Dumbledore was dead that she would never report it. It was just too sore a subject with too many people and Rita knew how to play the people.

The easiest people were the people in villages like Hogsmeade, trusting people who knew little of what went on in London. Knew little of the bureaucracy that was slowly but surely running the Wizarding world into the ground. Sometimes Rita hated herself, but only for these people, for the way she manipulated these people whom she saw everyday – she had practically lived in Hogsmeade for twenty years now.

She knew very well the street she was currently descending and vaguely recognised the group of men on the other side to where she was walking. They knew her well enough not to get too close, but they had seen her.

"Hey…Oi Skeeter! Come over here and I'll show you how a man does it!"

Without missing a beat or turning her head she raised her hand into a gesture that the men of this town had seen many times from her and shouted back.

"Fuck off!"

The man began to laugh with his friends, which after the day she had just experienced, only served to annoy Rita more.

There was still a small speck of light in the sky and the lasting air from a warm day meant that it was a nice, pleasant evening to be upon the streets in one of the most lovely Wizarding towns in the world, but Rita hated it for once. The day did not fit in with the night – it should have been raining at least; thunder would have been good as well, with some lightening to spell out the words "THE KING IS DEAD".

"Long live the Queen," mumbled Rita bitterly.

Before she could even begin to consider her animosity towards Minerva McGonagall she reached her destination; the one place in the world she truly loved – The Three Broomsticks. If there was ever a sight for sore eyes than the pub was it. And what was inside the pub was very comforting too.

Rita pushed open the door and immediately the warmth spread over her, along with the smell of Butterbeer. However something stronger was required tonight.

At half past ten on a night there were usually still a great number of people hanging around the pub, but tonight was different. Tonight there were no passers by, no drinks, no kids trying for their first Firewhiskey, no moaning teachers, no young lovers, but there was no Headmaster. Tonight all she saw was Rosmerta sitting on a comfy chair next to a window, already in her lilac silken night-dress, nursing a clear drink.

"Rosie."

"Rita…How was it?"

Sighing Rita dropped her bag onto the nearest table and slumped down in the chair opposite Rosmerta's.

"It was dreadful. There were so many sodding people, they all believed in him. The old bastard…I believed in him! Even if he was a bit weird. And now who's going to stop Voldemort? Harry bloody Potter and his sidekicks? They can't do anything until they grow up and stop seeing black and white. We're all dead darling, all fucking dead!"

"I wish you wouldn't swear so much…or smoke."

She added as Rita reached into her bag; the reporter looked her dead in the eye and smiled for the first time that day.

"Alright, I won't light up, but can I at least have a drink?"

"Don't see why not. The usual?"

"Please. I need it after having to see old MG."

Without even turning around Rosmerta knew that Rita was smirking and so she couldn't help but smile at the tone in Rita's voice. By general consensus McGonagall was not one of their favourite people.

"The old birds still in love with you is she?"

"Oh head over heels! It's only a matter of time before she squashes all the beetles on the Hogwarts grounds…just to make sure."

"Didn't she do that a few years ago?"

"Probably. I just feel a bit apprehensive that she's now the only leader the Wizarding world has against Voldemort."

Rosmerta chose that moment to throw half Rita's drink down her front.

"When did you start saying his name?!"

"I will not be bested by Hermione Granger – if she can say it, so can I!"

Smiling once again and shaking her head Rosmerta refilled the glass and handed it to Rita – who immediately tossed it down her throat. She knew Rita's opinion of Hermione only too well. She had spent most of the past two years listening to Rita become ever more frustrated by the knowledge that Hermione had. Rosmerta had never really warmed to the girl herself – she had seen Hermione pick a public fight with Rita in her fourth year and since then she had thought her arrogant. Plus Rosie was rather fond of the Weasley boy and Hermione was playing him like a lute, seemingly for her own amusement. But Hermione Granger was not the topic of the day.

"Any idea what the Order are going to do now?"

"I doubt even they know and if they did they wouldn't tell me. Apart from the general disdain all of them have for journalists I am sleeping with someone they still stupidly blame for Dumbledore's death."

"They still blame me then?"

"You know they do Ros, why else would you have absented yourself today? I know you, too eager to keep everybody else happy."

"It's just the way I am Rita."

"I know." She swallowed her drink in one motion. "Fancy making an old woman very, very happy tonight?"

"Is McGonagall looking for company then?"

"Not quite that old."

Rosmerta's was the only laughter that could be heard in all of Hogsmeade. She reached for Rita's hand and began dragging her bespectacled lover upstairs. They were quietly in love in their little secluded pub in Hogsmeade, with nobody to disapprove or bother them, at least not when Dumbledore's benevolence kept others from their door.


	2. Chapter 2

The very same door somebody was banging ridiculously loudly on. Rosmerta sighed and then suppress a laugh – she was sure she'd just heard Rita growl as she disentangled herself from the landlady and stomped downstairs to shout at the visitors. Under normal circumstances they would have ignore it but the war meant normality was long since deceased.

Rita was not exactly prepared for meeting guests. Half-dressed when the door was knocked she had pulled her coat over her underwear and stockings; she briefly considered that in those, a long, black trench coat and her high heels whoever was on the other side of the door would probably wonder at her and Rosie's bedroom habits. Of course she didn't care. And she let her coat fall apart a little as she opened the door.

"For Merlin's sake Skeeter! Cover yourself up girl, I have impressionable youths here, they do not need to see you _au natural_!"

And with that Minerva McGonagall pushed past Rita, followed closely by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and, Rita scowled, Hermione Granger.

_Shit_. Rita was reasonably sure she should have seen this coming really, for ten minutes that night she had been so happy – a record length of time for her. Well let them stand there like muppets, she wasn't doing anything wrong.

"Well aren't you going to offer us a drink? Where's Rosmerta, at least she has some manners around others?"

The smirk on Hermione's face did not go unnoticed by Rita. She had to resist the urge to wipe it clean from her mouth and was on the brink of losing that battle when Rosie cam down the stairs, having dressed properly.

"Professor, what brings you here so late?"

With movement too quick for anybody to react Harry had dashed forward and grabbed the barmaid, pinning her arms to her side and shaking her angrily.

"You helped them to kill him!"

"What?" Rita marvelled for a moment that even when being, alright maybe not threatened, but spoken to in a very threatening manner, her lover's voice did not lose the warm-ness she valued so much. Quickly coming back to the moment Rita marched forward and grabbed Potter by his left shoulder and pulled him around and hit him dead in the face. Not for nothing had Rita had the most feared beater arm in her tenure at Hogwarts and as such Potter was knocked for six, especially so when she followed that by pushing him towards the door.

"Get. Out!"

Their visitors were momentarily stunned. Granted McGonagall had no expression on her face whatsoever as per usual, but Rita could tell by her lack of speech that even she was shocked.

"I said get out! You have no bloody right to barge in here, throwing accusations at her! Go on, fuck off, you too _Headmistress_, I don't remember inviting you here for a drink."

The Headmistress seemed to recover herself swiftly at the inferred slur on her new position.

"And you have no right to strike children!"

"I'm not a child!"

"See, you heard the boy, I can treat him as I would any man who barges in here and assaults Rosie."

"I did not intend for that to happen, but I believe your reprimand was uncalled for…"

"Uncalled for, he's lucky he's got little miss to hide behind now" she gestured to Harry, who was indeed stood behind Hermione, "or else I'd give him a matching pair."

"Rita Skeeter! I would die before allowing you to harm one of my students, as well you know!"

"Strangely enough McGonagall, you're continuing existence is not a great worry of mine."

"I did not come here to argue with you."

"No, you came to insult me, have Rosie assaulted and indulge in an entirely pointless argument when I know I at least have much better things to do so I repeat – fuck off!"

The barmaid had remained quiet during the frightening glances shot between the Headmistress and the younger reporter but with weariness in her voice that none of the teenagers had ever heard from her she spoke.

"What did you want Professor?"

Rita's eyes shot wide and she turned to Rosmerta, who seemed to silence her with a small movement of her head, whilst gesturing for the visitors to sit at one of the booths.

"Would any of you like…" Harry and McGonagall shot her alarmingly nasty looks, "…a drink?" she finished somewhat lamely.

Ron and Hermione did not seem so antagonistic towards her and looked to be pointedly ignoring their companion's looks of disgust.

"Don't suppose I could try a Firewhiskey yet?" Ron asked good-naturedly and smiled kindly when Rosmerta shook her head. "Argh, worth a try! I'll have a Butterbeer please and Hermione…"

"The same please." The girl smiled at her and Rosmerta began to change her opinion of her, as it was based largely on Rita's rages. The journalist herself fetched a bottle of Firewhiskey, a glass and pulling her coat around her body pointedly sat next to Ron. The young man didn't seem to realise he had just made a sneaky, temporary ally who would do all in her power to ensure he got some Firewhiskey!

Rosmerta returned and sat down opposite Rita, next to Hermione and she felt reasonably safe, additionally so with the knowledge that her wand was in her pocket. Of course she knew she couldn't hope to defend herself against Minerva McGonagall for very long but if worst came to worse Rita would jump to her rescue as she always did and knock the Headmistress out. It was really quite unnerving how powerful her right arm was, even so many years after she had ceased to play Quidditch.

With much trepidation she turned to face Harry and McGonagall and whilst the former scowled, poking his swelling eye, the latter took a deep breath and began outlining the reasons for the visit.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: - Ok, in case anybody is actually reading this (I really don't think anybody is but even so) I have a few more chapters already written which I'm gonna post but due to a lack of interest I might as well give it up. :-(

* * *

"We want you to help us."

"What?" Said Rosmerta, more confused now than ever.

"We want you to help us." Minerva repeated. "Us and the Order of course. We'll give you time to think about it, although I don't think you should have much choice in the matter, but we need to tell you about the Order of the Phoenix."

Rita was never one to hold her tongue. Not when she was a student and had got into blazing rows with the people who would become the future Death Eaters, nor when she had started out in her career and had argues with the editor. She hadn't been able to do it when inviting herself onto the Hogwarts grounds against Albus Dumbledore's wishes and she certainly wasn't about to do it for the new Headmistress.

"You disturbed us at eleven o'clock at night to tell us about the secret Order which everybody in the bloody Wizarding world knows about!?"

She burst out laughing and completely ignored the two looks of contempt been thrown her way. She did however notice the amusement on Rosie's face and the agreement of Ron and Hermione's. It was Harry that spoke next.

"Well we're sorry if your ageing bones can't manage this time of night but we did have a funeral to attend today." He pointedly looked at Ros, which caused Hermione to shift away from Harry for fear of getting hit with the curse she was half-certain Rita was about to throw. However, Rita's canny eyes had seen her shift.

"Don't worry Hermione, my aims as good as my arm."

She looked pointedly at Harry, who in turn glared at Hermione when she snickered.

"Skeeter! This discussion can not continue if you carry on like this!"

"I wasn't aware we were in a discussion McGonagall, sounded like an enforced and pointless briefing to me."

"Argh! I knew this was a waste of time, Potter, I assured you that these two would be entirely unhelpful."

McGonagall stood up from her seat and slowly Harry did the same, however the other two teenagers didn't move. Both had grave looks on their face and Ron's mutated into one of steel.

"You haven't even asked them for help yet. Not properly."

Without looking at Ron Rosmerta reached forwards and pushed Rita's bottle of Firewhiskey towards him. He grinned at her and Hermione smiled at them both. Rita on the other hand was looking at Ron as though he had grown another head. He continued speaking though.

"Harry, don't you think it's really thick to go into a rage at all the people who could help us. We need allies, no matter who they are the more the better."

"What do you mean by 'no matter who they are'?"

Although he had just stood up to his best friend and the headmistress Ron looked quite scared when Rita asked him this and it took him a moment to see that the three women around him were all grinning. Hermione looked as though she were glowing from pride.

McGonagall on the other hand was seething. Rita has always thought this wasn't a good look on her and had tried to tell her numerous times, none of which had gone down all together too well.

"Fine we'll try this again. You three wait outside, I want to talk to them alone."

The teenagers began to protest and Rosmerta herself didn't fancy the idea of two thirds of her support going away but with a withering glance from the Headmistress they complied. Rita merrily passed her glass towards Ron who smiling had just picked it up when it shattered, they both looked up to see McGonagall, with her eyes closer, breathing deeply.

"Just. Go."

The teenagers left the three older women alone and Rita debated internally which of them would win the battle for who could listen through the keyhole. There was a yelp that she recognised as Potter's, Ron was at the window grinning so she supposed Hermione had won. Despite herself she felt proud of the girl.


	4. Chapter 4

"In future I would ask you not to encourage Mr Weasley…or give him bloody Firewhiskey. I won't ask for your help, I'll demand it and I suggest you comply or I promise you I will make life very difficult for the both of you."

Rita and Rosmerta shared a look across their booth and before the landlady could try to calm the situation her lover had jumped into the fight. As usual.

"And what exactly are you going to do? Stop a few teenagers from coming here once a weekend every three months? We're trembling."

"I'll make sure you never work again for starters. I know Hermione stopped you publishing your poison for a year but I'm quite a bit meaner than she is and I'll make you unemployed for good."

Rosmerta had not expected her lover to really be affected by this; Rita was never the sort to take idle threats seriously, even though from Minerva McGonagall they were probably slightly less idle. She knew Rita wasn't stupid enough to instigate all out war with the Headmistress, the odds were so firmly stacked against her that it would inevitably result in Rita being utterly defeated. She hadn't expected Rita to smile triumphantly though.

"You're getting yourself muddled Headmistress, must be your age. If you ruin me then my name will be worthless and it's my name the Order needs isn't it?"

McGonagall's silent fury seemed to confirm Rita's suspicion and the journalist ploughed on.

"I'm right, I know I am. You want propaganda against the people you think are Death Eaters, the Malfoys, the Parkinson's, all those kinds of families. All the ones that have children in Slytherin. Well I won't do it."

"What?!"

This confused even Ros. As much as she loved Rita she knew the journalist would never pass over an opportunity to write a scandal like that, it was one of the traits she liked the least really.

Rita noted that whilst Ros looked curious and seemed to be trying to work it out for herself McGonagall looked on the brink of a complete eruption. She enjoyed the furious expression for a while before continuing.

"I know my record isn't pearly white in the gossip columns, but this is different. It isn't one person who'll feel the effects, it's an entire house. I may write about the parents but we both know what Hogwarts is like, Slytherin house will be completely cut off from the rest of the school once and for all. And I won't do that to the kids."

"Sudden burst of conscience Skeeter? Over twenty-five years writing I thought that particular basic human quality was gone for good in you."

"I remember what it was like before. In the 60s when he was rising and everybody turned on Slytherin house. Those were my friends and I couldn't walk down a corridor with them without dodging hexes! And you did fuck all about it then!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't most of your contemporaries at Hogwarts join the Death Eater's ranks anyway?"

"They were driven to it!"

"Evil will always out Skeeter. I thought you'd have learnt that by now the kind of people you deal with. People choose their own destiny, none of them were forced into it."

Rita's voice held a steely calm that didn't reach her face at she glared at McGonagall.

"You pushed Bellatrix to it."

"Liar!"

The room around them seemed to shake violently and Rita felt herself being pilled forcibly to the floor from behind. With a jolt she felt her knees collide with the stone floor and her stockings split through the pain. A second later she heard the door slam open telling her the kids had returned and felt, rather than saw, Ros slump behind her.


End file.
